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US praises China anti-piracy role off Somalia
2009-02-28
BEIJING - A top U.S. defense official praised China's contribution to anti-piracy efforts off the coast of Somalia on Saturday, following two days of talks in Beijing that marked a resumption of military consultations after a half-year suspension. The visit by U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense David Sedney added to signs of an optimistic start to ties between Beijing and President Barack Obama's administration. A visit the week before by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was also praised for setting an overwhelmingly positive tone for relations. China had suspended most military contacts last October over Washington's agreement to sell $6.5 billion in advanced weaponry to Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing claims as a breakaway province. And while China continues to complain about such sales, Sedney told reporters that both sides were dedicated to improving relations. "The focus was not at all on obstacles. The focus was on how we can move forward, how we can make progress, and how we can try to make joint efforts ... to achieve common goals," Sedney said at a briefing at the American Embassy before his departure for South Korea. Sedney had special praise for China's contribution to the anti-piracy flotilla patrolling the Gulf of Aden off the Somali coast. Chinese sent two destroyers and a supply ship to the region in December, and on Thursday state media said its sailors had rescued an Italian merchant ship from pirates. "The work they've done has been highly professional, it's been highly effective, and it's been very well coordinated with the United States and the other navies that are working there," Sedney said. The sides also reaffirmed the six-nation process of urging North Korea to abandon its nuclear programs and discussed possible Chinese contributions to nonmilitary programs in Afghanistan, he said. The U.S. is preparing to send 17,000 more soldiers and Marines to join the 38,000 fighting a strengthening insurgency. Afghanistan lies on China's western border. Sedney said he held 13 hours of talks on Friday with a delegation led by Maj. Gen. Qian Lihua, the Chinese Defense Ministry's head of foreign affairs. That was followed by a shorter meeting Saturday morning with Lt. Gen. Ma Xiaotian, deputy chief of the General Staff for the People's Liberation Army. China's official Xinhua News Agency said Friday's talks also covered bilateral maritime security, as well as international and regional security. It also quoted Qian as saying that contacts would remain tenuous unless the U.S. removes remaining obstacles to improvement. "China-U.S. military relations still stay at a difficult period. We expect the U.S. side to take concrete measures for the resumption and development of our military ties," it quoted Qian as saying.
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